Buckeyes seek clarity in depth chart during opener

Six sentences into his Monday press conference, Urban Meyer said a two-deep roster was forthcoming, which many of us mistook to mean that clarity on personnel issues was also forthcoming.

It wasn't. Not even close.

The depth chart released Wednesday only led to more questions. At seven of the 22 spots on offense and defense, multiple possible starters are listed, with the names bracketed by an "or."

For instance, the starting replacement at tailback for Carlos Hyde is listed as Ezekiel Elliott or Rod Smith or Curtis Samuel.

It would have been easier to tell us that Bri'onte Dunn and Warren Ball will not be starting.

The apparent wavering by the coaches— they prefer to call it "competition" — adds to the angst for Ohio State fans who have felt uneasy about where this season is headed ever since quarterback Braxton Miller suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in practice.

In his wake, fans now seem to fall into one of two camps: those blindsided by a tsunami of bad news (you know, because Braxton had been indestructible until now) or those almost unfazed by Miller's loss because of who's pulling the strings.

The pessimists are frantically looking for life rafts. The optimists believe Meyer can walk on water and not only keep the Buckeyes afloat, but produce 10 or 11 wins and stay in the Big Ten title conversation, maybe even in the College Football Playoff discussion, heading into the Nov. 8 showdown with East Division rival Michigan State.

Redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett takes over at quarterback, probably before he's ready, but he'll have a solid supporting cast — potentially. And a much better braintrust than most, except when it comes to releasing depth charts that actually mean something.

You know it's been a strange week when Johnny Football makes more sense than Meyer's two-deep.

Asked by cleveland.com for his take on the Buckeyes quarterback situation, Johnny Manziel sized things up perfectly.

"I think (Barrett's) got a good situation with coach Meyer being there and being able to put him in good situations to be successful," Manziel said.

Manziel became the first (redshirt) freshman to win the Heisman Trophy two years ago for Texas A&M. That feat was duplicated last year by Jameis Winston, who went on to quarterback Florida State to the national title.

Don't get any wild ideas.

In 2012, Texas A&M returned four starters on the offensive line, including two tackles who would go on to become No. 1 picks in the NFL draft and another who projects as a No. 1 in 2015.

The Aggies also returned their leading receiver, coming off a 1,200-yard season, as well as their top two running backs.

Tallahassee offered the same comfort zone for Winston. ("All the free crab legs you can stuff down your pants!" Sorry, couldn't resist). Last year Winston operated behind a line that entered the season with a combined 80 career starts. Two of those linemen went on to become All-Americans and another was first team All-ACC. As for the skill positions, the Noles returned a veteran tailback and three of their four top receivers.

Barrett? While his running mates drip with potential, there's no ignoring that the leading returning rusher (Ezekiel Elliott) gained 262 yards last season. Or that no receiver, no matter how much depth the Buckeyes have at that position, caught more than 44 passes and disappeared for long stretches. (That would be Devin Smith.)

Do I need to remind you OSU is breaking in four new offensive linemen, with battles at left guard and center?

"Their quarterbacks coach (Tom Herman) is a very creative guy, who's a standup guy as well (as Meyer), so I would say lean on those guys, lean on the older players that have been there and they have a lot of playmakers, so you get the ball to those guys in space and they can really do a lot with it," Manziel said. "So don't try to do too much."

Who needs a depth chart when you've got Johnny Football to provide clarity?